Cover hold-down means



Sept. 26, 1950 N. E. HART ETAL 2,523,428

' COVER HOLD-DOWN MEANS Filed Dec. 12, 1946 INVENTORJ //////A m 9 Norma/7 E Ala/"7 BY MM 7 I Q7? Q1 *2 5 [F M AT W Patented Sept. 26, 1950 COVER HOLD-DQWN MEANS Norman E. Hart and William A. Guss, Toledo,

Ohio, assignors to Toledo Scale Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 12, 1946, Serial No. 715,887 3 Claims. (01. 220-55) This invention relates to cover hold-down means for securing covers or housings made of light, frangible materials, for example, plastics, to bases of heavier, less frangible materials, for'example, wood or metal, and in particular to means for securing plastic casings or housings to the metal bases of mechanical devices such as Weighing scales.

Numerous plastic casings or housings are used to enclose mechanisms because of their decorative appearance and their light weight. However, most plastic materials are of a frangible nature, and the ordinary clamps and screws used in metal or wood may not be used to hold such plastic pieces to a base. Moreover, most plastic materials are dimensionally unstable in that changes in temperature and humidit cause them to warp to a certain extent. As a result, a major problem in the use of plastic casings or housings has been the provision of cover hold-down means which are easily assembled and simply adjusted and which remain in continuous adjustment, automatically compensating for any warp which may occur in the housing.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cover hold-down means which may be assembled simply and quickly.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a cover hold-down means consisting of parts economically and easily produced.

' It is another object of the invention to provide a cover hold-down means consisting of parts which may be easily replaced or repaired.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a cover hold-down means Which is ade justed in assembly and which remains in continuous adjustment.

7 Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description in which reference is had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Figure I is a view in perspective of a box-type weighing scale equipped with a cover hold-down means embodying the invention.

Figure II is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional view taken substantially along th line II]1 of Figure I.

Figure III is an enlarged, fragmentary, front elevational view of a device embodying the invention with parts broken away and parts shown in section.

Figure IV is an enlarged, fragmentary, horizontal sectional view showing the latching mechanism of the device embodying the invention in plan, the latch being in the engaged position.

Figure V is a perspective view showing a portion of the latching mechanism of the device embodying the invention, the latch being in position to be disengaged.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the base I of the scale illustrated is a casting shaped substantially like a shallow rectangular pan (see Figure 1) The scale has a casing 2 which is preferably a unitary molding made from a plastic material such as urea-formaldehyde resin. The casing 2 rests upon an abutting surface 3 of the upturned sides of the pan-like base I.

At-each of several points, the casing is provided with a protuberance 4 (see- Figure II) of semi-annular shape extending outwardly in a direction generally parallel to the abutting surface 3. A link 5, preferably in the shape of a thimble, covers the protuberance 4. The lower portion of the link 5 is engaged by a retaining bar 6 at its free end I. r

The retaining bar 6 (see Figure V) is a metal stamping which is slightly bent at its free end I so as to engage the link 5 and has a tenon 8 on the-other end. 'Near the middle of the retaining bar 6 is a longitudinal slot 9 and a transverse debossing Ill extends across the central portion of the slot 9. The retaining bar 6 (see Figure II) is located in a small recess-II in the base I positioned substantially below the protuberance 4 on the casing 2. The tenon 8 fits loosely into a small bore I2 which acts as a fulcrum so that the free end I of the retaining bar Ii moves in a vertical direction.

A retaining latch I3 which extends upwardly through a hole I4 in the base I and through the slot 9, engages the retaining bar 6. The retaining latch I3 (see Figure V) is a metal stamping having a spear head I5 at one end which passes freely through the slot 9 and which upon 90 rotation of the latch I3 (see Figure IV) rests in the debossing I0 so as to pivotally engage the retaining bar 6. The other end of the retaining latch I3 has two shoulders I6 which are positioned so as to engage a spring I1. I

The spring I1 (see Figure III) acts between the base I and the retaining latch I3 so as to exert a downward force on the retaining bar 6. The retaining bar 6 through its free end I in turn exerts a downward force on the link 5, thus holding the casing 2 against the base I. Thus the spring furnishes a constant force requirin no adjustment in assembly or subsequently to accommodate any warp or other change in the dimensions of the housing.

The essential parts of the device embodying the invention i. e., the link 5, retaining bar 6, the retaining latch l3 and the spring II can be economically produced and can be easily and quickly assembled without adjustment. In assembly, the retaining bar 6 is first set in the bore [2; then the retaining latch 13 with the spring I! thereon is pushed up through the hole [4 and the slot 9 and then is turned to engage the retaining bar 6; finally the link 5 is engaged with the free end I of the retaining bar 6 and lifted up and over the protuberance 4. The device may be disassembled by lifting the link 5, disengaging it from the protuberance 4 and then removing the link. The retaining latch l3 may be removed by forcing it up so as to relieve the pressure on the retaining bar 6 and then rotating the latch l3 so that it can be withdrawn.

Since the retaining latch l3 pivotally engages the retaining bar 6, the retaining latch I3 moves only in a vertical direction when the retaining bar 6 is raised or lowered. This isof particular advantage in that less space is required for the installation and operation of the device.

The embodiment of the invention herein shown and described is to be regarded as illustrative only, and it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible to variation, modification and change within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described the invention, we claim:

1. In a device of the class described, in combination, a base, a casing having-a surface abutting said base, a protuberance on said casing extending in a direction generally parallel to the abutting surface, a link engaging said protuber: ance, a retaining bar removably fulcrumed inthe base, said retaining bar having a free-end engaged by said link, a retaining latch pivotally connected to said retaining bar and a resilient member coacting between said base and said retaining latch so as to exert a force at the free end of said retaining bar in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from the abutting surface. I

2. In a device of the class described, in combination, a base, a casing having a surface abutting said base, a protuberance on said casing extending in a direction generally parallel to the abutting surface, a link engaging said protuberance, a retaining bar removably fulcrumed in the base, said retainin bar having a free end engaged by said link and having a longitudinal slot and a transverse debossing across the slot, a retaining latch pivotally connected to said retaining bar in the debossing, said retaining latch being removable through the slot, and a resilient member coacting between said base and said retaining latch so as to exert a force at the free end of said retaining bar in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from the abutting surface.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, a base, a casing having a surface abutting said base, a protuberance on said casing extending in a direction generally parallel to the abutting surface, a link engaging said protuberance, a retaining bar removably fulcrumed in the base, said retaining bar having a free end engaged by said link and having a longitudinal slot and a transverse debossing across the slot, a retaining latch having a spear-head at one extremity, the spear-head being of such size and shape as to pass through the slot and upon ninety degrees rotation of said retaining latch forming a pivotal connection in the debossing of said retainin bar, and a resilient member coacting between said base and said retaining latch so as to exert a force at the free end of said retaining bar in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from the abutting surface.

NORMAN E. HART. WILLIAM A. GUSS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,645,171 Weiss Oct. 11, 1927 1,773,019 Wickers Aug. 12, 1930 2,096,098 Fraysur Oct. 19, 1937 

